Reposted from LinkedIn

Reposted from The Guardian

A fundraising campaign has raised more than £120,000 to help repair a Liverpool library and community hub that suffered severe fire damage after being targeted by rioters on Saturday night. Nigella Lawson and children’s laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce are among those who have donated to the gofundme page, which was set up on Sunday afternoon in aid of Spellow Hub library. The fundraising page had an initial target of £500 but has gone on to raise more than £120,000 in two days, from more than 6,000 donations. The appeal was started by Alex McCormick, a 27-year-old manicurist. “I always loved to read as a child and seeing a library and community space destroyed broke my heart,” she told the Guardian. “I felt helpless and wanted to do something to help and thought fundraising would be a nice way to replace some of the books lost in the fire”. “I never imagined that the fundraiser would spread and far and wide as it has,” said McCormick, who is now liaising with the council and library management. “I’m so overwhelmed with the response and the sense of community”. Spellow Hub is located on County Road, Walton, where Merseyside Police said approximately 300 people were involved in violent disorder on Saturday night. The riot was among a number of incidences of violence that have taken place in cities and towns in England, and in Belfast in Northern Ireland, over the last week in the worst outbreak of civil disorder in Britain for 13 years. Police have made 378 arrests since the killing of three young girls in Southport in north-west England last Monday, after which false claims were spread online that the suspect was a Muslim asylum seeker. Police said when firefighters arrived at the library, the rioters attempted to stop them from getting to the fire to put it out. “They even threw a missile at the fire engine and broke the rear window of the cab”, said police in a statement.

The library has suffered severe fire damage to its ground floor. Brothers Adam Wharton, 28, and Ellis Wharton, 22, pleaded guilty to charges of burgling the library at Liverpool magistrates’ court on Monday. Ellis also pleaded not guilty to charges of assault on an emergency worker. Formerly known as Spellow library, Spellow Hub re-opened as a community hub last year, after a “radical, community-led makeover” intended to offer training and opportunities to one of the most deprived communities in the country. Ed Jewell, the president of Libraries Connected – which represents library services in England, Wales and Northern Ireland – said it was “absolutely sickening” to see the library riot. “Public libraries are particularly vulnerable during this kind of disorder as they are often in prominent locations and are, rightly, easily accessible. Yet they are also symbolic of community safety and cohesion – open and free civic spaces where everyone is welcome.”

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Reposted from CISA

The accelerated development of new artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, including with large language models (LLMs), has spurred international debates around the potential impact of “open source AI” models. Does open sourcing a model benefit society because it enables rapid innovation, as developers can study, use, share, and collaboratively iterate on state-of-the-art models? Or do such capabilities pose security threats, allowing adversaries to leverage these models for greater harm?

Fortunately, the conversation doesn’t have to start from scratch. As the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) leads on open source software (OSS) security, we’ve spent significant time immersed in open source communities. OSS faced similar debates during the 1990s, and we know that there are many lessons to be learned from the history of OSS.

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Reposted from CISA

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and National Security Agency (NSA) released an Enduring Security Framework (ESF) Report on Recommendations for Increasing U.S. Participation & Leadership in Standards Development, providing recommendations for the U.S. to participate in and position itself as the leader in the creation of global standards. The report recognizes both economic reasons and national security concerns requiring increased U.S. participation in standards development organizations (SDOs). U.S. participation in standards is critical to protecting the security of the American people, expanding economic opportunity, and defending democratic values. The report was developed by the ESF Industry Standards Group Working Panel, an NSA and CISA-led public-private cross-sector working group, to provide recommendations for individuals, industry, academia, and the U.S. government to sustain and grow engagement in SDOs as well as developing a standards savvy workforce. The ESF urges early engagement in critical emerging technologies standards-related activities, the development of a more standards-savvy U.S. workforce, engagement with academia to grow the next generation of standards experts and establishing the United Sates as a venue of choice for hosting standards meetings.

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Reposted from Walden Security

Creating an inviting nightlife venue with a strong reputation starts by ensuring it is safe and secure for customers.

With their vibrant energy and bustling crowds, nightlife venues are an integral part of many cities, creating an enticing place for people to unwind and socialize. However, these businesses must ensure their patrons’ safety if they want to last. Adding simple measures like creating clear policies and procedures, maintaining a safe environment and hiring physical security helps current customers feel safe while also being attractive to potential new customers. POLICIES AND PROCEDURES Clear and well-communicated policies and procedures are fundamental to maintaining security in a nightlife environment. Whether employees are servers, general managers or security personnel, all staff must be trained on the business’s policies, which should include: • Dealing with Difficult Customers • Responsible Beverage Service • Crowd Control • Active Shooter Preparedness • Sexual Harassment Awareness Every venue is unique and may require additional policies. For example, bars and clubs should train employees to deal with intoxicated people, while restaurant employees must understand proper food safety. Whatever unique training the business requires, ensuring employees are trained and up to date on company procedures gives businesses a solid foundation for becoming a reputable venue people want to return to. A SAFE ENVIRONMENT FOR CUSTOMERS A safe environment is a more attractive one for potential patrons. Therefore, creating a place where people feel secure should be a top priority for any business. Lighting: Good lighting inside and outside the building is one of the simplest ways to deter fighting, criminal activity or other disturbances. A well-lit exterior, including the entrance, sidewalk, and parking lot, helps customers feel safe while entering and exiting the business. Similarly, good lighting inside the building makes accidents less likely and allows staff to monitor the patrons. Layout: An easy-to-understand layout for the business will help control the crowd. Clearly marked entrances, exits, bar area, stage, VIP area, dance floor and other spaces the business has will help staff members monitor guest activity throughout the night. Staff Presence: A solid staff presence can also create a sense of security for guests. Well-trained staff, who look after the patrons and ensure any issues don’t get out of hand, will make customers feel safe and more likely to return. SECURITY PERSONNEL The security personnel at the entrance play a vital role in the nightlife scene. The presence of a security officer is often enough to deter people from committing crimes or causing a scene. They ensure adherence to the building’s maximum capacity, stop potentially problematic people from entering the facility and prevent guests from trying to sneak in. However, the need for nightlife security personnel goes beyond the front door. Security officers inside the building help control the crowd. An officer will also de-escalate if a fight or other disturbance occurs and keep the venue functioning. Whether it’s a bar, restaurant, club, concert venue or any other nightlife venue, safety and security must be a top priority. Maintaining a safe environment for customers will help businesses become a staple of their city’s nightlife scene.

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Reposted from EMR-ISAC

The threat of wildfires in the wildland urban interface (WUI) is a subject of increasing national concern. Creating fire-adapted communities remains a key priority of national fire safety, prevention, and control policy in the United States. To support local fire departments and their communities in this charge, the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) recently launched two new WUI fire awareness tools: 

• The WUI Fire Property Awareness Explorer. This application allows users to search addresses or communities to gain a contextual understanding of their area relative to the WUI and vegetative fuels.
• The WUI Fire Community Awareness Explorer. This dashboard provides a quick snapshot of counties or places in the U.S. and potential exposure to wildfire hazards for structures in the WUI. Users interested in building fire-adapted communities and resilience can quickly identify vulnerable structures or areas in their own community. These tools do not measure or convey risk. Rather, they are designed to provide awareness about the location of the WUI and local wildfire hazard exposure. The tools can support local fire departments and community stakeholders to apply consistent data in the implementation of community risk reduction, code adoption and enforcement, mitigation, and planning efforts.

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Reposted from EMR-ISAC

Virtual presentation and live demonstration hosted by FEMA’s Resilience Analysis Branch (RAB) to highlight the updates and improvements to the Resilience Analysis and Planning Tool. FEMA seeks to provide insight and guidance, especially real-world scenarios, to RAPT users as RAPT is updated and transitions to a new platform.

The 2024 update of the Resilience Analysis and Planning Tool gives users an enhanced experience with more accessibility, power and flexibility. RAPT’s improved functionality and updated data allow users of all GIS skill levels to combine layers of community resilience indicators, infrastructure locations and hazards to analyze resilience and preparedness for all phases of emergency management. 

This year’s RAPT update includes:

• Updated U.S. Census data: Latest American Community Survey five-year estimates (2018-2022). 
• Functional Enhancements: Moveable pop-ups, updated layer-lists and new ways to summarize data. 
• County Summaries: Provide at-a-glance information at the county level. 
• Take a Tour of RAPT: New walkthrough of RAPT built right into the website. 

FEMA will host interactive webinars on the tool, and each webinar will cover the same content. Please register for one of these 60-minute sessions. 

Advance registration is requested. 

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Reposted from EMR-ISAC

On July 23, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published a notice in the Federal Register that it intends to hold a virtual, informal hearing on Nov. 12, 2024, to hear comments and testimony from the public on OSHA’s proposed Emergency Response standard. In February 2024, OSHA issued a notice of proposed rulemaking to replace the “Fire Brigades” standard, published in 1980. The newly named “Emergency Response” standard would expand safety and health protections for emergency responders, including firefighters, emergency medical service providers and technical search and rescue workers. It would align these safety and health protections with current national consensus standards for workers exposed to hazards related to fires and other emergencies. The online hearing will allow stakeholders from across the country to participate. OSHA encourages first responders to join the meeting to share their opinions. OSHA held a public comment period that was originally scheduled to end May 6, 2024, but was extended twice in response to public demand. The comment period finally closed on July 22, although OSHA is still accepting public input via the Nov. 12 hearing. All comments submitted during the comment period can now be viewed within the docket associated with the proposed rule.

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Reposted from Afghanistan International

The Human Rights Defenders Assembly has issued a warning regarding the destruction of cultural artefacts by the Taliban in Afghanistan. The Assembly has called on the international community to address this "cultural disaster" with urgency. In a statement released on Friday, it highlighted that the dissolution of cultural institutions and the severe restrictions imposed by the Taliban have inflicted significant mental and psychological distress on cultural figures and artists. The statement emphasized that these measures have led to widespread depression among those affected. The Assembly expressed deep concern about the dire economic and psychological conditions faced by displaced cultural figures in neighboring countries. They reported that the systematic eradication of cultural artefacts and extensive restrictions on cultural figures are central to the Taliban's agenda. The rich cultural heritage of Afghanistan, they warned, is at risk of being obliterated. The Assembly pointed out that Kucha Kharabat, once a vibrant hub of classical music and ghazal singers in Kabul’s first district, has now become desolate. The destruction extends to theatre buildings, cinemas, music venues, and art galleries. Additionally, the fine arts departments in universities and the National Institute of Music have been disbanded, and artistic groups have been dissolved.

The Human Rights Defenders Assembly has called for international cultural support institutions and organizations, including UNESCO, to intervene and address the catastrophic cultural situation in Afghanistan. They urged the member countries of the UN Security Council and the Human Rights Council to activate "cultural diplomacy" to tackle this cultural crisis. Since the Taliban's return to power, music has been banned, resulting in thousands of artists and singers losing their livelihoods and being forced to flee the country. Over the past three years, there have been numerous reports of violent encounters between the Taliban and music listeners, with several singers being beaten and musical instruments destroyed. According to the Taliban, music is prohibited under Sharia law. The Taliban's Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has issued directives to drivers, advising them to refrain from playing music.

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